Back On the Platform

Well this week isn’t getting any slower than the previous weeks.  Last week a lot of training had to be modified due to the insanity of the previous week.  My back is finally feeling human again thank goodness because me and prescription anti-inflammatories are not a great combo.  In other news I feel like the world is spinning in double time right now.

I can only make it to the gym today during my normal time, the rest of the week I’m cramming in gym time when it fits.  Last night I went to the Canucks first pre-season game which aside from losing was fun.  Since my best friend is moving 3000 miles away we’re cramming in all the time we can. Thursday we have a concert, another training day, and also the day I will have been on this earth 22 years.  Man oh man.  Friday I have plans so more afternoon training.  Like I said things are crazy. Amongst all these things I also have class.  I’ve decided to take only 4 classes and drop my 4 credit analytical chem lab, because with 5 courses, 2 of which are graduate level I wasn’t going to have time to focus on training or have any social life.

Another tangent – why is it always when I do not have time for something positive to happen in my social life it does???? Like seriously do they just wait in the wings until I have no time to date and then appear…rant off.

Gym time.

This entire week had me out of sorts.  Thursday was the kicker when I somehow managed to break my toe getting in the shower.  I don’t know how it happened I just know that clearly I did something to make karma mad.  I trained thursday night, not like I could do anything about it, so I taped it took some advil and iced after…shades of burgandy appeared the next day, but it’s alright.  Friday training was just messed up.

I powercleaned up to 79, which was a misload it was supposed to be 77, but I made 79 no problem.  Then couldn’t make it again, couldn’t make 75, was sooo pissed went back down and up and down and up and down until I reached the point of utter frustration after oh 50 minutes of power cleaning.  Left the gym to sit in my hidden corner and be pissed off because by this point I was ignoring everyone and ready to snap.  The mood in the gym was already shitty I didn’t need to add to it.  My training partner I. came out to give me a pep talk and I hate ra-ra shit like that so I kind of snapped and told her to leave me alone.  I feel a little bad, but that’s not what I needed or wanted to hear.  When my workout is going that shitty I need to reconvince myself why I weightlift and sometimes it’s fast sometimes its slow.  Eventually I went back into the gym set up a new platform and started all over again, managed to do 3 75s in a row and walked away from power cleans. Coach wanted me to clean, by this point I’d been at power cleans for about 80 minutes and my legs were shot, my traps were tired and I admitted which caused more yelling in the gym.  I tried to full and eventually did a few but I was on a shitty lacquered platform and ended up falling on my ass. Moved on and did clean deads for sets of 4 at 95, did 4 sets.  Then to back squats, my legs were already tired, but I went anyway.  I was supposed to attempt 125 for a single then go back down to 115 for 3 sets of 3.  Well in my infinite wisdom I totally misloaded.  Had 85 on the bar and added a 15 to each side and somehow in my head thought this was 105, did a triple it felt a bit heavy but I just figured it was the cleaning from earlier.  Added a 10 to each side thinking this then would be 125, but no after my first misload it was 135, I took it off and wasn’t totally sure.  Bottomed out and it rolled all the way down my back because I didn’t jump out of the way fast enough.  Then went back down to 115 and couldn’t do it, left the gym in a major funk.  I’m hoping monday brings something better, shitty work outs put me in a bad bad mood.

On a more positive note I had a pretty decent weekend, invested in a new computer, a macbook.  I love it, if I wasn’t a student I’d cough up the money for a powerbook, but alas my budget doesn’t allow for that.  I’m very happy with it so far.  And on Saturday night after finding out my best friend is indeed moving to New Hampshire we had 2 bottles of wine and some good times.  The wine doesn’t really fit into my whole lifting eating habits, but given she’s moving 3000 miles away and to a different country it was warranted.

Today I spent 5 or 6 hours in the library studying.  This semester is crazy but I’m committed to keep on top of it because these courses matter for grad school.  First exam tomorrow so we’ll see how that goes.  Then training to release exam stress.

School has offically started and I’ve not had all my classes once and at this point I am shaking my head…what was I thinking registering this semester, I must me a sadist. It’s probably the same reason I weightlift, I thrive on a challenge and this semester is going to be one. I have 15 “midterm” exams in 4 classes, one of my courses has no midterm. I use the term midterm lately because in my immunology class we have 7 exams, one every two weeks on at least a chapter of material, if not more. It’s a lot of material, and it’s going to be interesting. I’m still absorbing the magnitude of the term and I just got back from studying at the library.

Now on to training. I had 4 days off due to some previous commitments Friday and then the holiday Monday. I had a pretty decent day on Tuesday, it was too heavy, but the focus on not rolling the bar away from my shins at the beginning of the snatch is f-ing with my technique, so we’re slowly adjusting. Cleans went surprisingly well, power cleaned up to 77, which is more than I full cleaned at the last meet. We’re spending a lot of time on power clean right now, just getting it up is all we want. Back squats for 115 triples was hard but not impossible and then some snatch deads again working on not rolling the bar away from my shins. Did half an hour of core work and felt amazing after. No ill affects today which was nice, usually my abs hate me.

I’m trying to decide the best time to integrate cardio into my training, the morning of training days I have time, or my off days…or after training, if anyone is reading any suggestions would be cool???

Anyway I have a paper to read before my 9:30AM class tomorrow woohoo, schools back.

Weightlifting, despite its overall low rate of injuries has many, many ways to be cruel to your body.  Millions if you consider all the combinations.  The pain in my patella tendon seems to be subsiding, I think that was just my body getting used to be being back under heavy weights.  My wrist are the problematic area, or I should say my right wrist.  I have a strange shooting pain from the base of my thumb up my forearm, and then a general ache when my wrist is bent back in a lift, worse in the snatch due to the length of the time my wrist is turned over.  It doesn’t ache too bad in cleans.  Regardless it’s strict regime of ice and advil for me.

Since it’s been a while since my last training session…I’ll just do a brief recap of last week overall.  It was a good and bad week.  Cleans were bad and then improving.  After a horrendous clean workout on Tuesday I wasn’t sure how bad I wanted it.  I walked away once from the sport in a flurry of frustration with my clean and a handful of nagging injuries.  Could I walk away again…could I give up “unfinished business” for lack of a better term???  Following Tuesday’s workout all my coach asked was that I inch the weights up, we’re not focusing on the magnitude of the weight, but little improvements.  I did 70 Tuesday, so we just want to bump that up on Thursday and build confidence.  No more attempting the same weight for 20 minutes (we all know I’ve been guilty on that on a weekly basis and it takes a ton of energy out of my system and messes with my head).  Thursday I did 74 for 3 singles as a power clean…easy.  Small improvements, build confidence, that’s the new plan.

It’s been interesting integrating different forms of the press into my workout.  Muscles I don’t usually use so they scream the loudest.  The goal with that is to be able to do at least one pull-up because I can’t do any!!! I suck at them.  I’m also starting on protein powder and creatine something I’ve never done before.  At 16 my coach figured I was too young, now my body is a lot more mature, apparently I bought the wrong creatine though…so back to the drawing board on that one.  No worries I’ll get it right.

School starts tomorrow so more recovery time is going to be available, hopefully this will lead to bigger training weights.  I know 115 for a triple in back squat is coming this week.  Another week of 95 for triples in front squat.  I’m loathing pulls from podium, they confirm how WEAK my back is.  Strong overall, weak, weak back.  I need to amp up the core workout at the end of training, but I hate sit ups they’re soooo boring.

Wish my luck! Tons of stuff to get accomplished tomorrow before training.  Can’t wait to get settled in my new routine. Good luck with everyone’s training.